Monday, 25 May 2009

Didi lucas has finally started his swim classes at the Marsden Swim School at Turf City. It's a nice place, and he enjoyed the session immensely, often screaming in delight. He is now a lot more interactive and it's a good time to bring him to some enrichment classes, let him socialise a bit and enjoy himself. We also brought him to a trial class at MyGym at Great World City. He squealed in delight at the wide open space where he could crawl and he loved the swing. I love carrying my little man, he is always so ready to give you a bright smile. These days, he is ever so clingy. Nestled in your arms like a koala bear, he is a happy boy. Put him back in the cot and he cries so pitifully, with big fat tears rolling down his cheeks. Give him his favourite fruit like grapes or bananas, and he grunts in satisfaction.

As for nat, she surprises me all the time. She had been enjoying her swimming lessons and is quite comfortable diving underwater with the coach. On Saturday, when I brought her downstairs to the condo pool to swim, I asked if she would like to dive underwater to pick up her toy turtle. She gamely agreed and like an otter, she dived underwater with only slight assistance from me. She was so thrilled that she did it again and again. I'm glad she's enjoying herself and I must say, I am now a true believer of the merits of letting kids learn to swim at a young age.

Day 5 Healesville-Melbourne

I usually enjoy holidays when they are about a week long. Any longer than that, one gets kind of tired. Day 5 was generally quite relaxing. We started off the day visiting the Healesville sanctuary. It's essentially like a mini-zoo with Australian-theme based animals. Koalas -they were sleeping :( Emus, Wombats, Wallabies. nat's favourite was the kangaroos of course. I never realised that kangaroos are so big in size. During feeding time, the keepers lured them out with food towards the open fencing where we were standing. Of course, nat had a great time feeding the kangaroos, who are ever so tame. In fact, she kept asking the keepers for more corn to feed the kangaroos, sat herself on the sandy ground to feed them and refused to budge. We were the last ones to leave and that was after nat had made sure there was no more food left and the kangaroos wandered off.

Thereafter, we dropped by Giant Steps for lunch. Their orange juice is delicious and goes so well with the yummy fries. I know, it's not too healthy to eat fries but that's all she would eat anyway. Feeling tired, nat lounged on the sofa and drank her milk. I told gary that i recalled seeing a playground nearby, and since nat loves playgrounds, we decided to stop by for a while. There is something about Australian playgrounds. Instead of sand, it is filled with something else? I think woodchips? Gives the place a very fresh smell and one does not carry all the dirty yucky sand into the car/house after play. Of course, it helps that the weather is good.

Just before heading back to Melbourne, gary decided to drop by another winery, Mount Mary. He loves meeting up with the winery owners and having a chat with them over a tasting session. While he was chatting away, nat and I walked around amusing ourselves at peripherals of the vineyard. I tried to "educate" her on the merits of a windmill (haha) but she was bored! Working on her clockwork timing, she decided she had to poo, so off I whisked her to the nearby toilet. Wow, I really am getting to be a pro at locating winery loos!

We then headed back to Melbourne. Nothing too exciting from hereon, the usual shopping, dinner. I seemed to be getting a cold, so we had an early night. The next day, we went to the duty-free outlet at Moorabin. I wasn't too excited, didn't buy much and by afternoon, we headed off to the airport. nat didn't make too much of a fuss on the plane, and after she fell asleep I watched the movie (Marley and Me - it's so sad I teared, boohoo!). Then we were Home Sweet Home!

Day 4 Mornington Peninsula - Mt Dandenong

Started the day bright and early with gary's delicious breakfast of ham and eggs and our box of hand-picked strawberries.

Then we were off to Mt Dandenong. I was looking forward to it, having been there some 8 years back. My memory of this place is the tall trees, you feel so dwarfed walking amongst these giants. We gave the Puffing Billy steam train a miss as we figured that nat was still a bit young to enjoy it. I remembered that the last time I came, we had gone to a place with many crimson-coloured parrots. We couldn't really remember where it was exactly, so we stopped by the Visitor Centre for more information. Found out that it's called the Grant's Picnic Grounds at Sherbrooke Forest. This is an amazing place! Right smack in the middle of the forest is a picnic ground. Pop into the cafe and buy some bird seeds and you'll find yourself immediately surrounded by many many parrots. There are the usual white ones we are used to seeing in Singapore and the crimson rosellas, my favourite.

OK, so I am not a bird person. Actually, I always thought I was a nature lover, but when they come too near, they freak me out. So, while nat and daddy were having a good time, feeding the birds, having them land on their shoulders, there I was trying to capture some great pics, while avoiding the birds, hoping they wouldn't land on my head. It's no easy feat!

While I was trying to capture a nice shot with our SLR camera, one of the white parrots swooped towards me, startled me and caused me to stumble and fall on my butt! For the rest of the day, I had to walk around with dried mud on my lovely white jeans! nat spent the rest of the day recounting the horrifying story of how the white parrot pushed mummy to the ground. gary was telling me that from her angle, it probably did look like the parrot pushed mummy as it flew towards me and I immediately fell. I made no attempt to correct her. Heehee it's better for her to have an illusion of an aggressive bird attacking poor mummy than to have her think i'm a klutzy mummy, right? haha! The bird (actually I'm not too sure if it's the same one) then swooped down to nat and whisked the bag of seeds right out of her hand. I even managed to capture a picture of nat looking seriously pissed and the little thief enjoying his loot at the top of the tree.

Thereafter, we continued on to explore the towns of Sassafras and Olinda. One place that we always visit when we are in this area is a little cafe known as Miss Marple's Tea Room. I couldn't belive that the place was filled and we had to wait half an hour for a table. While waiting, we ventured to a nearby toyshop called Gepetto's workshop filled with many toys. nat had a great time exploring. Half an hour later, we were starving and sat down to have Devonshire tea and scones and sheperd's pie. Yummy! Even nat tucked into the food. We even ordered a cup of hot chocolate for her, which she adored. Next door to the tea room is a quaint little shop that sells all manner of teapots! The last time we came, gary and I stayed in it for a long time, just checking out the interesting wares. This time round, we were out in 5 minutes, not wise to have our active little girl in the teapot shop, full of fragile and delicate wares.

Ended the day walking around the Healsville area. Bought some groceries from Coles (I think I must have visited the supermarket up to 5 times) in the short period we were in Melbourne. As you can see, I love exploring overseas supermarkets. Before moving on to our accomodation, gary stopped by this place called Giant Steps for a short wine tasting session. By this time, nat was cranky and I was wiped out, so we just chilled outside waiting for him. He took quite a while, till nat fell asleep on me and being stuck in one position, I ended up with pins and needles on my foot! I was not a happy trooper when gary finally emerged from his tasting session. That night, we decided to have Thai food at Poppy's. It was a nice change from the western food we had been having so far.

A bit about our accomodation, Woodbox Studio. It's a really nice place, with modern deco and a jacuzzi (which nat really likes as she can splash about in the water). Only word of advice: NEVER arrive during nightfall. We actually made it to our accomodation only after dark and boy was it creepy! The exterior of the cottage was pitch black, I felt as if I was surrounded by the forest and gary exclaimed that there seemed to be something with "shining eyes" staring at us (probably a possum, which is quite common in the area). I ran into the house with nat and decided not to venture out anymore, while gary sauntered in slowly. Interestingly, the next morning, when there was light, the exterior of the house actually looked quite serene and peaceful, not menacing at all. So, take my advice, arrive at your accomodation while there is still daylight. This is what the backyard looks like, you can even go on a walking trail, if you feel up to it.

Day 3 - Still at Mornington Peninsula

We started the morning bright and early and had a quick breakfast in one of the cafes at Red Hill, within the Mornington Peninsula area. Mr Efficient had documented that this particular cafe was good for sausage pies so we went there to try it. Not too bad, although a bit porky in my opinion. nat had her usual orange juice, an apple and a packet of Mamee (or what she calls noodle snack). I like the Mamee in Australia because it is not as salty as those found in Singapore as the salt is packed separately so you can choose not to put any in the snack. There is a label there stating that this snack is produced for kids and promoted in school canteens so I figure it can't be that unhealthy, right?

Thereafter, we were off to the Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm. I have always had a strong desire to visit fruit farms and orchards when I am overseas, be it oranges, apples, or strawberries. Never got an opportunity before so I was really excited about the strawberry farm. We were quite lucky, even though it was the end of the season, there was still a big field of luscious strawberries for us to pick, and we got away with a cheaper rate. In fact, we had the whole field to ourselves. We were given a box to store the strawberries that we picked. gary was very fussy, teaching nat to pick only the big, red strawberries. Many little strawberries that nat accidentally picked were surreptitiously chucked away and never made it into our box. We emerged triumphantly with a big box filled with bright red strawberries. On our way out, nat was mesmerised by the silly strawberry soft toy that giggles when you shake it. Of course, it had been strategically located at the cashier counter and was designed to attract kids. nat grabbed one and refused to let go. We left the farm AUD$8 poorer.

As it was merely mid-morning and too early for lunch, gary suggested to visit a nearby winery that he had been wanting to drop by, so off we went to the Main Ridge winery. There, we were greeted by a big, friendly dog called Stella who seemed really happy to have some company. As gary had a chat with the friendly owner, nat decided she would chill out by the bench to have a bottle of milk. After a nice bottle of milk, she decided she needed to poo and quick as lightning, I whisked her to the toilet. I was really proud of her, even though it is really quite odd that she always chooses pooing time whenever we are at a winery.

By then, it was lunch time. We decided to treat ourselves to a nice meal at the Montalto winery. The restaurant is located at the vineyard itself and one could enjoy first class cuisine while enjoying a great view. The vineyard had many sculptures erected at various spots and nat had a good time exploring.

During the course of the holiday, I noticed that nat had certainly become a friendlier child. There was a honeymooning couple sitting beside us and she flashed her winning smile at them and said Hi, something she often did throughout the trip. The couple were amused by her, I on the other hand, couldn't take my eyes off the lady's big diamond rock on her finger. After "socialising" for a bit, she declared she was tired, asked for milk and promptly fell asleep.

We then explored the little village towns in Sorrento and Portsea. Quaint little shops but nothing I really wanted to buy. They had some designer looking children's clothes which were too expensive to buy, but nice to look at anyway. Dropped by the supermarket as well to stock up on mineral water and purchase some stuff for breakfast. If you don't already know, I simply love going to supermarkets overseas. They are so big and have such a wide range of interesting products, I can spend hours there. Throughout the trip, I was also on the constant lookout for nat's body wash and moisturiser from GAIA. It is much cheaper in Australia and I was determined to stock up on it. Fortunately, it was quite readily available in most supermarkets and pharmacies.

We ended the day having a light dinner of instant noodles, after our heavy lunch. nat seemed starved and wolfed down the instant noodles. We thought that nat would have an early night, after having been up and about the whole day. Yet, she was very energetic, running up and down, singing, dancing, the works! I was tired just looking at her.

To amuse her, gary decide to light up the fireplace. As he went about setting up the firewood, newspaper and lighting the matches, nat looked on with much curiosity. Then she surprised me as she went up to Daddy and said "Be careful, daddy, it's dangerous." and then patted him on the back. Such a sweet and thoughtful gesture from my little girl.

nat finally fell asleep much much later, after watching some cartoons. I on the other hand, had difficult sleeping as the wind was howling and making a lot of noise. Looking out at the darkness, I thought to myself, this place is so beautiful in the day, however at night, it gets really dark (unlike Singapore where most areas are very brightly lit up, even at night) and can get kind of scary. Took me a while to fall asleep.

Day 2 - Melbourne-Blairgowrie
Started off the day at Queen Victoria Market. This is a very interesting market, divided into different sections such as pastries/breads, seafood, general goods (a bit like our pasar malam). gary and i grabbed a yummy salmon sandwich and latte while nat enjoyed her lollipop. This trip, she has somehow managed to con mummy into feeding her quite a few lollipops. In fact, when she went home, she proudly declared to our maid that mummy had given her lots of candy.


Thereafter, we made our way to the Collingwood Children's farm. Nature has been a very strong focus of our trip and I am glad that it is something nat enjoys so much. My baby has no fear of animals, in fact, I was just telling gary that as I grow older I have become more of a scaredy cat, while nat is the brave one. The highlight of the farm visit was the opportunity for nat to get up close to the animals. As usual, the sun shone brightly and the weather was cool. Armed with a bag of feed, we ventured into an enclosed pen filled with goats and sheep. The goats went wild when they saw us approach with the feed. The black one jumped on gary and his butt bumped nat onto the grass but nothing could deter my baby from her task of feeding the goats. I was kind of freaked out and stayed in the background taking pics. The sheep were much milder and I prefered to feed them instead. We didn't dally long at the horse pen as nat was scared.

[The goats must have made an impact on her. After we got home, she went around dramatically telling anyone who would listen about how the naughty black goat pushed her to the ground.]


One thing that I must comment on is that the toilets in Melbourne are very clean, from those found in the city, to the farm and even those at the wineries. It really made life a lot easier for me to change nat's diapers or to bring her to the toilet. nat was very co-operative and managed to tell me when she needed to poo so I whisked her to the toilet on quite a few occasions and we managed to conduct some form of semi-potty training, much to my amazement.

After the farm, we continued on our journey towards Blairgowrie, Mornington Peninsula. Our accomodation was fantastic. We stayed at a 3-storey beach bungalow called the Quarterdeck Clifftop. It has everything one needs for a perfect stay. 4 bedrooms, an outdoor spa, outdoor lounging and barbeque area, a fireplace, 2 telescopes to view the marina, a really nice masterbed room, television in every room, a fireplace, electric blanket (my fave) and a kitchen. We had a blast and I am really glad we spent 2 nights here! gary and i liked the super cosy and comfy master bedroom. The only drawback is that being this near to the beachfront, the nights can get really noisy with howling and gusty winds.


Most days in the afternoon, nat will get sleepy. She will declare to me that she is sleepy and proceed to fall asleep in the next 5 minutes. Sometimes I try to stop her from falling asleep, especially if it is too near meal times. She will look at me irritably and say "Mummy, don't disturb me! I'm sleeping." It always makes me laugh, looking at her she is still my small little baby and yet, one can have such adult-like conversations with her.

Sunday, 17 May 2009

I'm back! Nat's first trip to Melbourne began last Sunday and we just came back yesterday. It's been a great but tiring trip and I have only just realised the joys and "stress" of facing your kid 24/7. I want to remember the wonderful moments we experienced, in fact was hoping to blog along the way, but somehow we never managed to find a place with wireless connection. At the end of the trip, I feel the bonds of love between nat and me to be stronger than ever.

Day 1 - Singapore-Melbourne
We left on a late Sunday night flight. Surprisingly, even though it was way past her bedtime, nat was happy and chirpy. Walked around the airport for a bit and boarded the plane. I intentionally kept her milk and waited till the plane was taking off before letting her have her bottle. For a little toddler, she seems to have adapted well to travelling on the plane, kind of like her daddy. She was happy, fidgeting with the knobs on the entertainment console, colouring and munching on the chocolates in the kid's pack given to her by the air stewardess. She even managed to sit still for half and hour to watch her new favourite kids' show In the Night Garden. When the plane touched down, she kept poking at her ear, I think she was experiencing some slight discomfort but just for a little while.


We touched down early Monday morning in Melbourne and made our way to the hotel. Interestingly, I realised that this hotel was the very one we stayed in when gary and I visited Melbourne nearly 8 years ago. Not the most luxurious place to stay but it is located in a great location in the Melbourne CBD area. The room was not ready yet, so we left the lugguage there and went exploring. My efficient man had already printed out all the best places to have breakfast, lunch and dinner in Melbourne so it was really just a matter of deciding where we wanted to try.

One thing I must say is that the weather in Melbourne is great. How i wish we could have this weather in Singapore. Cool, fresh air with sunny skies, sitting by the sidewalk, sipping a cup of latte! Ah ... that's the life! By the way, in our rush, we had forgotten to bring the stroller so throughout the whole trip, we had to alternate between carrying nat and having her walk by herself. She is quite the little trooper though, and managed to walk long distances some of the time.

After we checked in, had a bit of a rest. I was really quite tired, having only slept abt 1 hour throughout the plane ride, and having to manage nat most of the time. It's interesting to travel with kids. Did you know that the plane toilet actually has a changing table that you can pull down to change kid's nappies? haha that's plane trivia for you!

The rest of the day was mostly free and easy. We made our way to the shopping area at Bridge Road by tram. Shopping was not great for me for this trip but that was alright. It was fun just walking around, looking, exploring. nat fell asleep halfway through and poor daddy had to carry her in his arms for nearly an hour. No wonder he was so exhausted that night. It's really convenient getting around Melbourne by tram. Just hop on and hop off, only thing is that a lot of times, payment for the tram ride seems to be based a lot on trust. I saw people hopping on and off without paying. I wonder how they keep tabs on who pays? maybe random checks?

In the evening, we went to the Royal Botanic Gardens. I was just telling gary that the weather is so nice that you really don't mind walking anywhere and everywhere, as you do not end up all sticky and sweaty! Nat had fun chasing birds, and running around the beautiful park. As it was cold, we wrapped her towel around her neck to keep her warm. We had wanted to bring her to the Ian Potter Children's Playground buy unfortunately they close at 4pm and we were only there at 5pm. Pity ...


Throughout this trip, I noticed that nat has one single obesssion, she is constantly looking for her towel. gary thinks that this OCD type of behaviour is from me. I had "cleverly" packed 3 towels in the lugguage to satisfy her obessession but it wasn't enough. One got dirty, the other one got lost and we were left with only one. She needs the towel to smell when she is sleeping and drinking milk and if it is not given to her, she will raise a ruckus. In fact, at one of the places we stayed in, towels were not provided so daddy had to use one of her towels for bathing. When daddy handed the towel back to her, she was not pleased! She said it was wet and demanded for a new one. I tried to bribe her with one of didi's cloth nappies that I had brought along, but she took a sniff at it and threw it back to me, demanding for her own towel. Sigh ...

Ended the day with a great italian meal along Lygon street. Overall, it was a satisfying but tiring first day in Melbourne.

More pics can be found in my facebook!

Wednesday, 6 May 2009

Dora, Diego, Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam, Barney. These are the characters kids today are familiar with. However, when I was younger, we enjoyed a different set of cartoons. Even now, when I happen to catch these clips on youtube, I still like it very much. One of my very favourite children's show is titled Button Moon. Surprisingly, no one else seems to have heard of it but i think it's great! Basically, the story revolves around the happenings on Button Moon and the Spoon Family. Nat enjoyed the clip of Button Moon which I showed her and has been humming the tune since. Check it out ... the tune is quite addictive ... even gary is hooked.

Sunday, 3 May 2009

Today, my maid is off, so we are looking after the kids full time. It is interesting, although it makes me really tired, I feel very happy to be so hands on with the kids. When the maid is around, somehow one gets lazy, outsourcing diaper changing, feeding, coaxing the kids to bed. Yet, I am enjoying it. Gary thinks if I were to do it daily, I would hate it. But I wonder ... Time passes so fast and didi is already nearly 8 months old. Sometimes, I feel that my being at work really deprives me of spending enough time with him. At least with nat, I am with her constantly on my off days as we attend swimming and Julia Gabriel together. I run through a range of emotions every day, guilt ... grumpiness ... blah blah blah ... Oh well ...izzit just me? too emotional?

Organic biscuits keep the kids happy and occupied. But it is certainly a hard fight to decide who is the dirtiest of them all?